I recently received a question from someone asking how to stop overcorrecting after making mistakes in their sport. To answer this, I’m going to break it into two parts: how to stop overcorrecting mechanically, and how to stop overcorrecting mentally.
Let’s dive in!
The Two Parts of Overcorrecting
When athletes make mistakes, it’s common to feel the urge to correct them immediately. However, overcorrecting can often do more harm than good, whether it’s in your technique or your mindset.
Overcorrection can create a cycle of overthinking, which takes you out of the natural flow of the game. It’s important to recognize that mistakes are a part of the learning process and that overreacting to them, whether by adjusting mechanically or mentally, can lead to greater frustration and a lack of confidence.
How to Stop Overcorrecting Mechanically
Overcorrecting mechanically is something many athletes struggle with. For example, imagine you’re playing tennis and you serve the ball too long. You then try to overcorrect by underserving the next one. The problem with this approach is that it can often cause more issues than it solves.
Why?
Overcorrecting introduces overthinking and control into movements that need to be natural and fluid.
Let’s say you’re serving in tennis, and you overserve. You don’t want to serve the exact same way, but you also don’t want to underserve. Underserving can cause problems like hitting the ball into the net or giving your opponent an easy return.
The best strategy here is to remember not to swing to the opposite extreme.
Instead, focus on sticking to your routine and mechanics.
For example, if you’ve overserved, take a moment to remember your normal serving routine and how it feels. Overthinking and second-guessing your technique can cause unnecessary stress and disrupt your performance.
Rather than trying to adjust drastically, simply trust in your routine.
Another example of overcorrecting can happen with pitchers in baseball. If a pitcher is throwing a bit wild and tries to overcorrect, they may end up releasing the ball too late and causing the ball to spike.
The key is to make adjustments naturally and athletically, not by overcontrolling the motion.
Ultimately, the most important thing after a mistake is to move on and trust yourself. Adjusting is essential, but overcorrecting by overthinking only causes harm.
The Mental Side of Overcorrecting
The mental side of overcorrecting is where athletes try to force a good performance after making a mistake. This is a common tendency to overcorrect from a mental standpoint, driven by anxiety and a need to control the outcome.
When you try to force things to “fix” your performance, it leads to unnecessary thinking and a need to control that undermine your natural abilities and athleticism.
To stop this, the first tip I recommend is to focus less on fixing and more on trusting.
Trust your routine, your technique, and your skills. This can be incredibly difficult, especially right after a mistake, but it’s important to remind yourself that mistakes are part of the process.
You don’t need to “fix” every mistake — instead, trust that your body and mind will adjust.
Simple Adjustments
One of the best ways to stop overcorrecting is by making simple and controllable adjustments. Going back to the tennis example, if a player is overserving, they could try a simple adjustment: reduce the force of their next serve by 5%. They wouldn’t change their technique, their body position, or where they strike the ball. They would just ease up a bit.
For a pitcher, if the issue is releasing the ball too early, a simple adjustment could be focusing on a nice follow-through with the throw. This adjustment helps the pitcher maintain control without overcorrecting and forcing the outcome.
Trusting the Process and Accepting Mistakes
Overcorrecting after mistakes happens when we feel like we need to fix everything after a mistake. But accepting that mistakes are just part of the game is essential. A few mistakes here and there don’t mean your technique is broken. They don’t mean you need to fix anything.
It’s often a simple reason behind the mistake, and it requires a simple adjustment.
When you trust the process and accept mistakes, you’ll be able to move on more easily and adjust naturally without overthinking or overcorrecting.
In Summary
-
Mechanical Overcorrecting: After making a mistake, don’t swing to the opposite extreme. Stick to your routine and make simple adjustments, not drastic fixes. Focus on the reasons behind the mistakes and make subtle changes.
-
Mental Overcorrecting: Stop forcing yourself to fix mistakes or control the outcome. Trust your technique, skills, and routine, and remember that mistakes are just part of the learning process.
By focusing on simple adjustments and trusting yourself, you’ll stop overcorrecting and improve your performance naturally.
Mental Coaching to Stop Overcorrecting
Mental coaching plays a crucial role in helping athletes navigate the challenges of overcorrecting, both mechanically and mentally. By working with a mental performance coach, athletes can develop strategies to manage the pressure that comes with making mistakes.
Mental coaching focuses on building self-awareness, boosting confidence, and teaching athletes how to trust their skills and routines, even when things don’t go as planned.
Through techniques like mindfulness, visualization, and cognitive reframing, mental coaching helps athletes stay calm, focused, and resilient, allowing them to make simple, effective adjustments without overthinking.
Ultimately, mental coaching provides the tools needed to maintain a positive mindset and perform at your best, regardless of the obstacles you face on the field or court.
If you’d like to learn more about the one-on-one mental coaching program I offer, click here to schedule a free introductory call.
I’ve also created two online courses:
And if you’re more of a reader, check out my books:
Thank you for reading and I wish you the best of success in all that you do.
